Seeking Xterra owner's input...

[OneTime]

I was just going to post up the same questions when I found this thread. I am looking for alternatives to my 13mpg LC80. I'm looking for a rig to do very light trails and hual my Mountian Bikes around and be able to sleep in the back in a pinch. Today I did a Mt Bike ride with my neighbor who has a 2wd 4 cylinder. I didnt know they came in a 4 banger. He claims to get 25 mpg.

I would be looking at a 2000-2004 5 spd manual. With no mods other than some AT tires, what do you think I'd get MPG? How many miles do expect to get from your engines and what are the major PM that needs to been done?

The pics showing the flush back row seats. Can the gen I and II seats lay flat too? Or do you have to remove part of the back seat?

 

[fangars]

My 2005 squeaks offroad, a common problem solved with sticky furniture pads you can buy at walmart or homedepot. Stick them under the two rubber stops under your hood.
The squeaks go away until the pads wear out. Replace as needed.
My brakes squeak as well, have for years, they do not need to be replaced.
Not sure what the deal is there but I think I will have them replaced soon whether they need it or not with other components, not sure which components.
The brake problem is not a common one as I have never heard any other Xterras squeaking like mine.

 

[RonapRhys]

1. How well does the 2nd Gen Xterra do off road? I'm not talking about hard core, but trails about on the level of Shafer Trail in Moab, Saints John/Radical Hill/Red Cone in CO, etc (basically 4 on the 1-10 scale used in Trail Damage.) I can't speak for those trails, but I can say that I was very impressed with what mine could do off road. The rear locker and the low range make it very solid off road. If you put some sliders and upgraded skids on it, along with a minor lift, you should be able to get all sorts of fun places.

2. What kind of real world MPG are you getting with the V6/auto combo? My research indicates the X has about a 21.5 gallon tank, what kind of range are you getting out of that? 19.5 in the city, 17 on the highway in the Appalachian Mts. In the winter that drops due to the winter-blend gas, but it's respectable for a 5K SUV.

3. What size tires are people running without modification? Right now I'm running 235/85/16 on stock wheels on my Taco and they are tight but they fit. I'd like to run a similar size tire since it seems to work well for me. 265/75/16 are stock, might be able to get 285s on it without a mod. Might. However, the 2" SL will make sure I can.

4. Is the X big enough to sleep in? The photos I've seen show a pretty flat load deck, so that's a plus. I'm 6'1" so I'd want at least that much space. If you get a set up like Mosi's, absolutely. I'm 5'11" and with that I'll have plenty of room.

5. Any known weak points? Engine/transmission/T-case/axles? I've heard something about weak or fragile axles but if that's only when doing hard-core rock crawling, it's not something I need to worry about. How well does the electric T-case shifter work? I'm leery of those but OTOH my wife's GV has that and it seems to work just fine (of course, her GV is full time 4wd so it's not like we have to shift it at all during normal driving.) I think the later 2nds have changed something with the front axle as I've not heard of anyone blowing it up on the later ones. Keep up with the lubrication PM and you should be fine.

6. How noisy is it? My Taco is a fairly noisy vehicle so as long as it's not noisier than that, I won't even notice. I wouldn't say it's that noisy with the windows up. Never been problematic for me.

7. Bottom line, if you knew then what you know now, would you get another X? In a heartbeat. If I was in a wreck tomorrow and totaled it, I'd have another on order immediately.

Side note - my 2nd post here and in both I'm pimping my Xterra. Both times to the same guy. Maybe I need to get a life...

 

[CoastalDefender]

My 2005 squeaks offroad, a common problem solved with sticky furniture pads you can buy at walmart or homedepot. Stick them under the two rubber stops under your hood.
The squeaks go away until the pads wear out. Replace as needed.

I used sticky-backed velcro circles (furry sided ones). They've been good for a year on both my Frontier and Xterra.

 

[4Rescue]

*Ahem*... 4TH Gen 4Runner... *Ahem* best option in this segment IMO.

That's just my .02

As for Issues with the 2nd Gen, they changed the front Diff casing (from Iron to alu I belive) and have been known to have issues with both the casing and the R&P. Course the issues seem to varry but a certain ammount of weakness leading to pinion deflection is most certainly one of the culprits. Either that or just a bad batch of metal that they made the R&P out of, I don't know. That said, the Titian Diff is a direct replacement and seems to solve the problem instantly so the IS a fix if you have a problem. As far as motors go, I hear nothing but good words about the new VQ 4.0 compared to the old V6. They also beefed up the chasis quite a bit to fight flex over the old models. Gotta give Nissan a big thumbs up for that one, seems like Toyota is doing the oposite these days (BOOOOOOOOO)

Cheers

Dave

 

[sami]

VQ 4.0 is amazing.. I've chosen it over the 3.4...

 

[AZ-Ted]

My 2005 squeaks offroad, a common problem solved with sticky furniture pads you can buy at walmart or homedepot. Stick them under the two rubber stops under your hood.
The squeaks go away until the pads wear out. Replace as needed.
My brakes squeak as well, have for years, they do not need to be replaced.
Not sure what the deal is there but I think I will have them replaced soon whether they need it or not with other components, not sure which components.
The brake problem is not a common one as I have never heard any other Xterras squeaking like mine.

John, cleaning the pads will usually stop the squeaking. I have to clean my pads from time to time (when the brakes start squeaking).

 

[AZ-Ted]

Have never heard of a problem with the Ring and Pinion (R&P). Most of the diffs that I have heard of failing (and the 2 that failed on me) were due to the spider gears failing. The teeth brake off and get jammed between the Ring and the case, and then the case cracks.

x2 on the Titan Diff - it is a bolt-on replacement. To keep the same width as the X, you'll have to get the V8 Pathfinder axles. If you go with the Titan axles, you'll have to change out the upper and lower control arms, and buy tie rod extensions and longer brake lines.

 

[devildogxd]

Well I'm quite a X fan, I've actually had 3 and influenced my family and friends we now have 8 total because of me. My first one was an 05, I drove it till it had 140,000 miles, most reliable vehicle I've ever owned and I have had lots of Toyotas. I sold my first 05 to my friend and it is still running strong, I sold my 03 rubicon, lack of room power, reliabilty etc and bought a 2nd x an off road model and it's been great, quite reliable and very capable, I've got just about everything on mine! I purchased my father in laws 05 because it had only 93,000 miles which is why I sold my first one. My father in law now has had 3, he loves them, then my friend bought one, we wheel quite often, then his son bought one and we have all had great experiences. I keep telling Nissan they should have done a commercial with all of us. Unfortunately most manufacturers are not making body on frame SUVs but the x is one of the best. Get one you won't regret it!! Semper Fi.

 

[emtmark]

Everything everybody has said plus a thousand I love my X!


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[meental]

Uh guys, this thread is from 09

Sent from my rooftop tent while stargazing

 

[emtmark]

Let us live our dreams lol Nissan pulled the plug on our beloved X's. We need as many as possible on the road


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[trae]

Would you still consider an X now that it's been discontinued? Considering it never had the same kind of aftermarket support that Jeeps or Toyotas have?

 

[Jack Stilts]

Would you still consider an X now that it's been discontinued? Considering it never had the same kind of aftermarket support that Jeeps or Toyotas have?

I don't think the discontinued status should prevent anyone from considering one. The FJ Cruiser is still purchased frequently, for example.

It doesn't need a ton of aftermarket work. It's damn good as-is. But if one is so inclined, there is plenty of aftermarket support; you just need to know where to look

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I don't think the discontinued status should prevent anyone from considering one. The FJ Cruiser is still purchased frequently, for example.

It doesn't need a ton of aftermarket work. It's damn good as-is. But if one is so inclined, there is plenty of aftermarket support; you just need to know where to look

This!